


Homecoming

by HiddenTreasures



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Reunions, Romance, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-01 12:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6518881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTreasures/pseuds/HiddenTreasures
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a telepathic bond, the Doctor is able to tell the moment Rose arrives back in his universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was prompted by and written for asmilelikestarlight on Tumblr.
> 
> This is technically a follow-up to my fic "Falling Slowly", but can be read on its own.

The Doctor dropped the boxes in his hands and started running. He was vaguely aware of Donna yelling at him, but he was far more focused on the pain in his mind. Or, rather, the sudden lack of it. For the first time in three years, the ache in his mind was gone. Oh, the pain had dulled over the years as he got used to it, but it was always there, reminding him of all he had lost.

_Rose? Rose!_

_Doctor!_

His legs nearly gave out when she answered. He put on a burst of speed and used her half of the bond as a homing beacon to find her again. She had to be close. He rounded a corner at the same time she did, and he heard the breath whoosh from her lungs as she was knocked backwards.

“Gotcha!”

He grabbed at her upper arms to steady her. When she was upright once more, he took a moment to just look at her. It was her. It was really her. She came back. He took in a shuddering breath and they both moved at once. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his wrapped around her waist, and he crushed her to him as she crushed him to her.

“Rose,” he whispered into her hair. He clenched and unclenched his hands in her leather jacket, looking for purchase to pull her closer, even though they were as close as they could get. “Rose. I missed you. I _missed_ you. I missed you so much. Rose, my Rose.”

He buried her nose in her neck. She smelled like apples and cinnamon, different from the lavender and vanilla he’d been expecting, but still so good, and underneath it all, she still smelled like his Rose, like home.

“Doctor,” she whimpered, tugging him closer.

The Doctor tried pulling back, but Rose held on tighter.

“Rose,” he choked out. “Rose, please. Let me fix our bond. Please, love. I want to feel you again. I missed you.”

Rose loosed her grip and eased back enough for him to press his forehead to hers. Their bond flared, and he breathed out a moan. The hole in his mind was steadily being filled with Rose again, as it should be, but it wasn’t deep enough, it wasn’t complete enough. There were still raw edges and tender gaps, and he pressed his forehead harder to hers, as though he could physically fuse them together if he just pressed hard enough.

“Doctor,” she said. “Doctor, wait.”

_No. Can’t. Please._

Rose coaxed one of his hands from around her waist and brought it to her temple, while she placed her fingertips at his. His legs really did give out when their bond snapped fully and completely back into place. Rose shakily guided him to the ground, her own knees wobbling precariously as her own mind was filled once more with him.

_Rose_. _Doctor. Missed you. Love you. Need you. Missed you. Love you. Please. Want you_.

Rose was getting dizzy, and she had trouble sorting through which thoughts were hers and which were his. Rose could see the raw edges of his mind and the Doctor could see the raw edges of hers, and they both began soothing them as best they could, healing them with tender touches and reassurances.

“Oi, what d’you think you’re doing, Blondie?”

Rose jumped a bit at the angry voice, and the Doctor whimpered when her telepathic presence receded.

“What are you doing to him?” she demanded.

“Erm…?”

“Donna,” the Doctor said, finally lucid enough to see his new friend. “Donna, it’s Rose. It’s _Rose_.”

Donna blinked, and took another look at the couple. The Doctor was sprawled on the ground, leaning up against a brick wall, and looking a little worse for wear, but his eyes were brighter and more alive than she’d ever seen them. The blonde in his lap looked much the same, and Donna softened.

“You found her,” she said, smiling happily.

“She found me,” he murmured, nuzzling his nose into her hair and reveling in the telepathic contact he’d been aching for for years. “How?”

“How about we get somewhere more comfy and I’ll tell you about it?”

Rose shifted to move off of him. He made a noise of discontent, but allowed her to stand and then pull him up too. Donna was already walking in the vicinity of the TARDIS, and Rose made to follow, but the Doctor snagged her hand and spun her around towards him.

Before she could say anything, he caught her lips between his. She groaned at the contact and tugged at his hair to deepen the kiss. It had been so long since they’d felt the press of each other’s lips, and nothing had felt so good than the movement of his lips across hers and the surges of love and happiness he was sending her. She concentrated, frustrated with being so out of practice, and sent him her own waves of love and pleasure.

Rose would have been content to keep kissing him for the next several eternities, and she tried to chase his mouth when he started pulling away.

_Later, love_ , he promised, dipping back down to press one, two, three more tender kisses to her lips.

“Let’s go home,” he said, feeling a thrill of happiness and excitement that wasn’t just his own shoot through him as he grabbed her hand and led her to the TARDIS.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written for TimePetalsPrompts weekly ficlet prompt "scars", and it also fulfills the drabble prompt "lost and found".

When they got to the TARDIS, the Doctor was surprised to see Donna leaning up against her car with a sad look on her face.

“Well, I suppose this is goodbye,” she said, pushing off the car to walk towards him. “Thank you, though, for everything.”

“Goodbye?” the Doctor asked. “What do you mean goodbye?”

“Well, you’ve got your Rose back,” Donna said, nodding to couple and how both of their arms were tightly wound around the other’s waist.

“Oh, ehm…” The Doctor scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly. He hated to kick Donna out, but it was _Rose_ , his wife, his bond mate, his other half, whom he hadn’t seen in nearly three years. He wanted nothing more than to take her back to their TARDIS and make sweet love to her and hold her close for the next millennium, to hell with the universe.

“It’s fine,” Donna said, a false brightness coloring her voice. “I’m happy for you, really.”

The Doctor watched her go with mixed feelings of guilt and elation, and he tried to mask his disappointment when Rose blurted out, “Wait! Just because I’m here doesn’t mean you need to leave. That’s not fair!”

“I’ve been the fifth wheel before. Rather not be it again, thanks,” Donna said wryly.

 _And I really want you all to myself, love_. The Doctor squeezed her hand and hoped she could understand how desperately he needed her.

“Well, can’t we take a little time for ourselves and then pick her up tomorrow morning, Doctor?” Rose asked quietly, smiling when she saw Donna’s hopeful expression.

“Tomorrow?!” the Doctor spluttered. “Rose, I…”

_Time machine, Doctor. Tomorrow for her, not for us. I think I’d like you all to myself for a little while, too._

The Doctor shuddered at the suggestive undertone, and he bobbed his head quickly in agreement, anything to get him in the TARDIS with his wife faster.

“Yes, yes, good!” he exclaimed, beaming manically. “Tomorrow it is, Donna Noble! Bright and early! Well, maybe not bright and early. Maybe you want to sleep in. You humans love your sleep. How does noontime sound? What day is it today? Wait. What day will it be tomorrow?”

“Barmy,” Donna sighed exasperatedly. “I dunno how you put up with him!”

Rose giggled and smiled fondly at her husband. Oh, she’d missed him.

After getting the date from Donna and the location of her house, he tugged Rose towards the TARDIS with a final wave to Donna, and a promise to pick her up the following day. He was about to push open the doors to the TARDIS, when a maelstrom of emotions from Rose made him pause.

_What is it, love?_

Rose shook her head at him, unable to speak or articulate an answer. Instead, she pushed open the doors to the TARDIS and took a step into the ship she had been dreaming of for years. She took in the slow pulse of the central column and looked around at the coral struts and yellow roundels and the tattered jump seat. The lights flickered rapidly, and Rose felt warm pulses of love and comfort from the ship. She choked on the lump in her throat and her eyes stung at the feeling of utter happiness and welcome she felt from her Doctor and their ship.

“Rose?” he asked worriedly, walking up behind her.

She turned towards him, and when he saw the tears in her eyes, he enveloped her into his arms. He made soft shushing noises as he rocked them from side to side, trying to soothe her both physically and mentally.

“Shh, it’s all right, Rose, I’m here, I’ve got you,” he whispered.

 _I’m home_.

The combination of incredulity and wariness, as though she were expecting it all to disappear at any moment, broke his hearts, and he held her closer.

_Yes, you are. You’re home. You’re so brilliant! You found me again, you clever girl. I missed you, Rose, I missed you so much._

Rose sniffled and swiped at her nose with the sleeve of her jacket as the Doctor continued to swaddle her in his love and gratitude. Both of their minds were a chaotic mess, but there was a firm and unyielding sense of love and happiness.

She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. The kiss was salty and wet, and the Doctor couldn’t get enough of it. Her lips were so much softer and warmer than he remembered, and his tongue desperately swiped at her lips, begging entrance. She parted her lips for him, and gasped as he plunged his tongue into her mouth without finesse or grace.

This kiss was sloppy and messy and rough, but so brilliant. The console room was filled with their breathy gasps and moans and the wet, sucking noises of their lips meeting and parting again and again.

_Missed you. Love you. Want you. Need you._

They could hardly tell their own thoughts apart anymore. It was dizzying and intoxicating as their lustful desires created a feedback loop, and the Doctor was half a nanosecond from shagging her on the console unit.

He whimpered when Rose wrenched her lips from his, and he instead latched onto her neck, shivering in desire at the deep moan she let out.

“Bed,” she said breathlessly, even as she tilted her head back to give him more room to explore.

Admittedly, their bed would be a lot more comfortable for the activity they were careening towards, but it was so bloody far away. He grunted in displeasure, and his hands wandered under her shirt to cup her breasts.

She hissed in a breath and slotted a leg between his to grind herself on his thigh. He moaned into her neck as his own throbbing erection finally got a bit of friction. He dropped his hands to her bum to pull her closer, tighter, harder, anything to quell the fire churning through his gut.

_Doctor, bed. Now. Need you._

_What’s wrong with right here, love?_

_Too many buttons poking my bum._

The Doctor let out a shaky breath as he reluctantly stilled the rocking of his hips and released the skin of her neck with a wet pop. A swell of pride and possessiveness surged through him when he saw the deep red mark glistening in the glow of the time rotor.

“C’mon, Doctor,” she said, pushing on his shoulders to walk him backwards as her fingers scrabbled with the knot of his tie. “The sooner we get there…”

She sent him images of all the things she wanted to do to him now that she had him back, and he shuddered violently.

_Keep that up, love, and I’m not going to make it to the bedroom._

_Then take me to bed, Doctor._

He growled and scooped her into his arms, bridal style, and took off towards their room.

oOoOo

The Doctor curled himself around Rose, relishing every inch of her skin that touched his. He could hardly believe this was real, that Rose was back and in his arms and mind as though she’d never left. But the lingering ache and the slightly stretched feeling of her mind filling his reminded him of the hell that was the last few years.

 _Too much?_ Rose started to ease out of his mind, but he quickly stopped her, tucking her close to his psyche once more.

_No, please don’t go. I missed you. I missed this._

The events of Canary Wharf had left him nearly catatonic and with a migraine for several days. He was overjoyed to feel her in his mind again, and was frustrated that his telepathic muscles were so atrophied.

The Doctor felt the gentlest of touches in his mind, and he felt pulses of comfort coming from Rose.

_I’m so sorry, Doctor._

_Not your fault, love._

_But it is. If I would’ve just held on to that bloody lever for a second longer, none of this would have happened! I’m so sorry, Doctor._

The Doctor pulled back slightly to look down at her. The utter devastation on her face broke his hearts.

_It wasn’t your fault, love. It wasn’t your fault._

He continued the mantra as he enfolded her in comfort and love.

_I’m just so glad to have you back. How did you do it, anyway? Because I looked, Rose, I swear I looked._

_I know you did, love. It’s a bit of a long story._

_Oh, I’ve got a bit of time to spare. Time Lord and all._

Rose giggled, feeling lighter and happier than she could ever remember being.

_Well, as you know, I went to work for Torchwood. While I was there, we started developing this machine called a Dimension Cannon. And, well, it sort of does what the name says. I used it to travel across the dimension so I could find you again._

“You blasted yourself across the Void, without a capsule or any protection of any sort?” the Doctor asked flatly, swallowing against the coil of dread pitting his stomach. “What were you thinking? You could’ve _died_ , Rose! Void travel is impossible! You literally scrambled yourself into atoms only to hope to be put back into the same configuration across the Void! What were you thinking?!”

Rose winced at his harsh voice, and blinked against the rising tears. She had expected him to be worried, but not angry. Would he prefer her to be back in that parallel universe?

“That was incredibly dangerous of you, Rose!” he continued, his fear fueling his anger and making him unaware of her growing distress. “What if you’d torn apart the fabric of the universes? What if you’d gotten stuck in the Void? What if you’d stayed as scattered atoms? I’m not worth your safety, Rose!”

“You are to me,” she said quietly, retreating back into the solace of her mind rather than continue to endure his wrath. “I’m sorry, Doctor.”

“No, wait, don’t go,” he whimpered, chasing after her receding rose gold spark in his mind, but not matter how he chased her, she stayed frustratingly out of reach.

 _Please_ , he begged as his throat swelled shut. He’d had so many dreams where she was right next to him but he couldn’t touch her, physically or mentally, and he always awoke with a headache and heartache.

 _I just wanted to come home_ , she whispered, letting him feel her current anguish at his harsh words. _I missed you so much. I was so lonely, Doctor. I saw a chance to come home, and I took it._

He nuzzled her mind softly, hating himself for making her upset. _You could’ve died._

_I would’ve died there, too. I needed to find you again because something’s happening. The stars were going out. They were just disappearing, one by one._

“What?” he asked sharply. “What do you mean the stars were going out? Stars don’t just go out. Well, yes, they do, when they’ve reached the end of their life cycle, but it’s hardly noticeable to the human eye.”

“Well, they’re going out,” she said simply. “Dunno what’s happening, but something’s wrong.”

“That universe is ahead of ours,” he mused quietly, wracking his brain for an explanation. “So whatever it is hasn’t happened here yet.”

“Can you fix it?” she asked nervously. “Mum and Dad and Tony – my new little brother – are still there.”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But I swear to you, I’ll try my best. I promise.”

_And I’m so sorry for yelling at you. I was just so scared. Rubbish excuse, I know, but it’s all I’ve got. And I’ll want to scan you in the med bay later. Make sure you’re okay._

_I’m fine, Doctor._

_Please? It’ll make me feel better if I can see the physical proof._

She sighed, but gave her mental assent.

_So, you know what I’ve been doing these last couple of years. What have you been up to? And how long has it been for you?_

Unbidden, images and memories of the Master, Martha, and the year that never was came to the forefront of his mind. Wincing, he shoved them away to the corner of his mind he’d been keeping them, but of course Rose saw them.

_Doctor?_

He held her closer as the grief he’d been trying to ignore tried to make itself known.

_I found another Time Lord, hidden and trapped at the ends of the universe. The Master. D’you remember him?_

Rose nodded, recounting the stories he had told her of his childhood friend turned archenemy. Sensing his reluctance and anguish, Rose cuddle his consciousness close to hers, running a soothing touch over the raw edges of his mind.

_You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But I’m here for you if you do. And I love you so much, my Doctor, and I am so sorry for whatever he did to you._

The Doctor held himself stiffly away from her as he tried to reorganize his thoughts and memories, but at her soothing touch and tender reassurances, the dam burst and both of their minds were awash with the memories of all the Master had done. Rose held him tightly as he gasped out a sob into her shoulder, then another, and another, until his entire body shook with grief.

_I’m so sorry, Doctor. I’m so sorry._

Rose’s eyes stung as she felt his betrayal and horror at what the Master had done to the TARDIS in his scheme to take over the universe. She could feel his heartache as he sent Martha away and watched as Jack was killed dozens of times for sheer amusement. She felt his sense of loss and bereavement as the Master died in his arms and refused to regenerate, leaving him, once more, all alone.

_Not alone, Doctor. I’m here. I’m here, love. I’m back, and I’m not leaving you. You’re not alone._

Rose held him for a long time, even after his tears had dried, and tried to soothe the wounds that had reopened. Her heart ached for her Doctor and everything he had gone through in his time without her.

“Sorry you had to see that,” he murmured after several long minutes, locking up his memories of the Master once more.

“Don’t apologize,” Rose said, brushing her fingers through his hair. “Being married means sharing both the good and the bad. You can tell me anything, Doctor, you know that. I want to help you, if I can, but I can’t do that if you won’t let me.”

“I know,” the Doctor whispered, nuzzling into her collarbone. “Thank you.”

They twined themselves as tightly together as they could, both mentally and physically, until they could hardly tell where one ended and the other began. The Doctor sighed in contentment. The lingering ache in the back of his mind was fading with every passing minute, but there were still raw edges in both of their minds. Their bond, though restored nearly to its full strength again, was still tender and fragile and in need of healing. Time, they knew, would be the only thing to soothe the trauma that had been done. So that’s what they did. They took the time that they needed to heal, no traveling, no companions, just the Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS, as it should be.

 


End file.
